WONDERFUL PROGRESS IN TWO YEARS.
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The Commercial Motor Industry at Last Sees the Turn of the Tide. The Prevalence of a Healthier Feeling,
THE VITALITY of the commercial motor industry calls for genuine admiration. It has had adminstered to it the severest blows that any industry could have received, and has had singularly little help or consideration from Parliament or Government Departments, the reason probably being that, if assistance ot a useful character were given to one industry, others would clamour for like treatment.
With practically none of the ex-war service vehicles built in 1917, 1918 or 1919 now on the market, the demand for" bargains " has fallen away almost to nothing, buyers recognizing that a vehicle built before the war, or during the early years thereof, must have seen considerable service, in addition to standing exposed to the elements since hostilities ceased. We have constantly urged the desirability of rendering _remaining stocks of exservice vehicles obsolescent, but the loaded condition of the stores' bins in the various factories has not encouraged the adoption of the proposal to any material extent. However, something has been done in this direction by a close following upon the trend of transport development.
The Big Load-carrying Unit.
Two years ago Sir Eric Geddes urged the need for substantially increasing the loads carried per unit of transport, so that the overhead charges of wages, interest, depreciation and maintenance could be 'spread over a greater tonnage. The idea is thoroughly sound in principle, and is only prevented from being universally adopted by the fact that manufacturers and traders have not yet begun to think in large loads, and that they will not do so until trade generally has moved a substantial degree towards recovery. Thus, we regard all that has been done in the design construction, development and use of the tractor-lorry as merely a touch on the fringe of extraordinary possibilities. Without doubt, a few years hence the multi-axled vehicle will play a highly important part in the transport, not only of goods, but of passengers: At present it is a legal vehicle for goods, but no local licensing authority has yet been asked to sanction the employment of vehicles of this type for passenger carrying. In the direction of catering for the rapid transport of light loads we are glad to record a real and determined advance. As was disclosed in our guide to chassis productions published in our Second Show Number, there is to-day a very large field of choice from which the tradesman, merchant, fleet owner or haulier may select in order to transport, collect or distribute loads from 21 cwt. up to 2 tons—a field which, by comparison, was hare when the last Commercial Motor -Show was held two years ago. The tradesman who still uses horses generally has good reason for retaining them, but those reasons are rapidly i having their foundations undermined. Prosperity s one of the factors in this work, for, when a tradesman owns and drives his own private motor, he may be relied upon to become a complete ,convert to power transport so soon as a change becomes possible. We have asserted, and we here repeat, our conviction that the market in the type of vehicle which will efficiently do the work now being done by the horse is enormous, and is capable of expansion, whilst inroads will ultimately be made into the field now occupied by the carrier cycle, the carrier motorcycle being capable of covering more extended
rounds in less time.' •
• It is a common experience to hear from a tradesman that he has quadrupled his turnover by the use of motorvans in .place of the hand-barrow and the horse and cart, for it is an obvious fact that, even in what seems the small matter of hour of delivery, the housewife turns with favour to the tradesman who delivers in the morning, to the loss, of the man whose deliveries run farther towards the• end of the day.
The Many-sided Aspect of Passenger Travel.
.-In passenger-carrying, one observes that there is the promise of a fight for the cab business of London and certain provincial cities and towns. Better service, lower fares and greater civility, if they actually eventuate, will undoubtedly bring their reward. The owner-driver of taxicabs knows that a willing cheerfulness to comply with the request of an intending passenger, faced with problems in transport which is difficult, but which can be solved by a taxi-driver, always brings a full reward. Whether the same spirit can be inculcated into a driver of a fleetowned cab remains to be seen.
We think that the time has come when the motorcycle taxi should' be placed in its proper category of a commercial vehicle and be shown at the Commercial Motor Show. We cannot conceive ataxi-driver, interested in learning the latest in vehicles suitable for cab work, going to the Motorcycle Show. The singlepassenger taxi, too, will play a big part in the future in catering for the business man, for the lady shopping and in etation work, and we expect to find it at the next Show. At the Show now being held chassis suitable for such work will appear under other body guises.
The past two years have not been so good from the point of view -of the motor coach proprietor as the year of 1921, which consisted of about nine months summer ; but, the motor coach has not fallen off in popularity. Whenever the weather has been suitable, there has never been a lack of custom.
As an industry, therefore, motor-coach operation has become firmly established, capable of ample extension and able to draw on the more-leisured classes with each access of refinement, both in vehicle design and in fleet operation. Hence, the outlook here is quite promising, and the enterprise of coach-chassis manufacturers and body builders in catering for the demand for small-capacity vehicles well-sprung and mounted on flexible tyres, is certain of an ample reward.
Meeting the Modern Municipality's Needs.
There have been many and substantial developments in the adoption of power in municipal work, whilst in fire-fighting really wonderful advances have been made. Speed in getting to the scene of a conflagration and ample nozzle velocity, so that the water can be thrown high above the fire and be able to quench it without running as a column aimlessly through the building, are the two requisite factors, and the modern motor pump fulfils both needs. We
still look for the introduction of a variable gearing between the engine and pump,' to avoid overloading the engine when the nozzle of the hosepipe has to be restricted in order to get height of throw.
Much is being done to utilize the full capacity of the power unit when it is being employed to haul refuse to a destructor-or tip. Clever trailers and containers are being devised, so that a battery of them can be used to collect the refuse from house to house, the tractor merely being used on the long hauls. This is a practical way of displacingthe horse.
We think it will be agreed that the Commercial Motor Show at Olympia is strongly suggestive of a well-established and firmly rooted manufacturing industry. It is the finest show of the kind that has ever been got together, being rich in new ideas and redolent of sound design and ,substantial construction. There is finer engineering to be seen at Olympia (and, in a smaller degree, at the Agricultural Hall) than has even before been displayed for public examination and criticism, and we feel that, if only every possible effort be put forward to attract the business man, business on a large and encouraging scale will result.